Betty Ross had fallen out with both Banner and General Ross, and afterward she hadn't contacted Ross for almost two years.
This also meant that Bruce Banner had been hiding and running from General Ross's pursuit for two full years.
Virginia, Culver University.
Betty Ross, a PhD in cellular biology, taught at the university—she was known as the beautiful doctor on campus.
That day.
After finishing her class, she had arranged to meet her boyfriend, a top-tier psychiatrist, at Stan's Pizza Shop.
This place held memories of her and Bruce Banner.
Even though Banner had been absent from her life for two whole years, some of her old habits still remained.
Her current boyfriend seemed unaware of Betty Ross's past.
They drove to Stan's Pizza Shop.
Totally unaware that a discreet black car had silently followed them and arrived as well.
Inside the shop.
"Stan, why are you closing so early?"
Betty Ross knocked on the glass door of the pizza shop and saw old Stan cleaning inside, her expression filled with surprise.
"Sorry, pizza's sold out today—everything's gone!"
Stan cracked the door open a bit, showing an apologetic look.
"Really?"
Betty Ross glanced at her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend smiled, "I know a place that has great steak. Want to try something different tonight?"
"Alright then. See you tomorrow, Stan—remember to save me a slice of your handmade pizza."
The two waved.
"Of course."
Stan watched them leave and let out a breath of relief.
Once they were far enough away, he tossed his cleaning tools aside and was about to shut the door tight when he suddenly noticed a stranger standing at the entrance, smiling at him.
"We're closed!"
Stan said helplessly.
"Sorry, boss. I'm not here for pizza."
The man facing him said, "I'm looking for someone. Bruce Banner. He should be here, right?"
Stan's expression changed before he could respond.
The man in front of him was, of course, Anton.
After receiving Betty Ross's information, he had immediately traveled to Culver University in Virginia.
Combined with the original plot, he naturally followed Betty Ross straight to this pizza shop.
The owner was one of Banner's trusted friends.
If Banner wasn't with Betty Ross, he had to be staying at Stan's place.
Evidently, Anton had guessed correctly.
Gulp.
Cold sweat covered Stan's forehead as he stared wide-eyed at Anton, unsure what to say.
"Let him come out."
Anton smiled mildly. "I'm not here to harm him. On the contrary, right now, the only person in this world who can help Bruce Banner… is me."
Stan hesitated for a moment.
"Stan, open the door."
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Turning around, he saw Banner pushing open the kitchen door, stepping into the restaurant, staring at him and the stranger outside.
Creaaak—
Anton walked into the dining area.
He looked over Bruce Banner and immediately noticed the fatigue etched into him, then greeted him: "My name is Anton Jameson."
"What do you want?"
Banner asked flatly.
He'd been avoiding the military because Ross wanted to turn him into a weapon.
If Ross ever got his hands on Banner's blood and analyzed his cells, they could create another him.
That was what Banner absolutely didn't want.
And during his long escape, he gradually realized something—
That growing fear within him had long turned into dead stillness.
Because anyone who knew he existed also knew one thing:
The person who should be afraid… was never him.
"Banner, I imagine you're tired of running endlessly."
Anton said seriously.
"So what?"
Banner stared back.
"I can find a way to make the military withdraw its pursuit of you," Anton said. "There aren't many people who can help you right now. I just happen to be one of them."
"Why should I trust you?" Banner asked.
"You don't have to trust me. But you do trust your friends."
Anton looked at Stan.
"Uh…?"
Stan looked confused, staring at Anton. "Then… why should I trust you?"
"Because of someone else."
Anton's thoughts shifted.
Creaaak—
The two men turned, startled.
They watched as the door connecting the kitchen and the dining area was pushed open once more.
A man wearing black armor, a billowing cape behind him, stepped into view.
Evening had fallen.
The light was dim.
"Do I need to introduce myself?"
The man stood in the shadows, the faint light from outside falling at his feet.
His expression was stern as he looked at Banner and Stan, his voice low and heavy.
"B-Batman!"
Stan's eyes widened in disbelief.
If anyone said that Batman was currently the most famous superhero in America, it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Partly thanks to DC's marketing, and partly because Batman had accomplished countless feats that shocked the entire nation.
Even with rising newcomers like Green Arrow, Cyborg, and Tony Stark as Iron Man, none surpassed Batman in overall popularity.
Over the past two days, thanks to Iron Man's hype, Cyborg, Green Arrow, and even Spider-Man, Venom, and Nightwing had been brought back into the spotlight by the newspapers.
Eddie had a sudden idea and launched an online poll to determine the public's favorite superhero.
Batman claimed nearly half the votes with a stunning 46%.
Iron Man had only 20%.Cyborg, supported by the Black community, gathered 11%.Among the rest, Spider-Man scored the highest—but still under 10%.
Eddie discovered he was dead last.He clenched his teeth in frustration—
But after seeing Daily Bugle sales break records again, he felt comforted by his expanding bonus and wallet.
He suddenly felt… maybe being last wasn't so unacceptable.
In short—Batman was the superstar of superheroes.
Iron Man and Cyborg scraped into first-tier status, Spider-Man and Nightwing ranked second-tier, and poor Venom naturally took a place in the third tier.
There was no way Stan wouldn't recognize Batman.
Even Banner, who had spent two years hiding in Brazil, looked stunned.
Though he'd been cut off physically, he wasn't cut off from the world.
And as someone who kept up with the news, Banner was very familiar with the Batman whose fame echoed across America.
"Batman… it's actually you!"
Banner's heartbeat quickened, pounding wildly—he was genuinely excited.
Honestly, if not for the mental training he'd done over the years, he might have lost control and transformed into the Hulk right then.
"Now we can have a proper conversation, right?"
Anton glanced around and shrugged. "Preferably inside. This isn't a great place for a chat."
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
"Living in Marvel, Starting by Marrying the Scarlet Witch"
"Traversing the Myriad Worlds, Starting by Obtaining the Marvel Ten Ring"
"Marvel's Multiversal Magic Controller"
"Marvel: The King's Descent"
"Marvel: Randomly Load a Protagonist Template"
"Living in Marvel: Starting by Building 2B Missy (18+"
" Marvel: Glory of the Sun God (18+) "
" Marvel: This Position of Authority, I'm Taking It for Sure "
" Marvel: Zaun Captain America, Villains Call Me Ancestor-Man (18+) "
"Marvel Summoning Villains "
"Marvel: Weekly System Refresh, King of S.H.I.E.L.D. "
many more are available 57+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)